Dispensing container having discharge openings with variable closure means



Feb. 20, 1968 c; J. CLAUSS 3,369,709

DISPENSING CONTAIIiER HAVING DISCHARGE OPENINGS WITH VARIABLE CLOSURE MEANS Filed June 24, 1965 I United States Patent 3,369,709 DISPENSING CONTAINER HAVING DISCHARGE OPENINGS WITH VARIABLE CLOSURE MEANS Gordon J. Clauss, 1280 N. Sunrise Drive, North Fort Myers, Fla. 33903 Filed June 24, 1966, Ser. No. 560,222 3 Claims. (Cl. 222107) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dispensing container preferably constructed of flexible material for draping and support, and having a multiplicity of discharge openings with variable and reusable closure means. The invention is characterized by a container of preferably multi-layer construction having a plurality of spaced discharge openings of predetermined dimensional areas, formed through a terminal portion and extending generally across interply or plies of the container and with the exception of the outermost ply. This construction is combined with a closure strip comprising a tear-out, narrow panel in the outerply across the discharge openings and with a thin layer of adhesive, pressure-sensitive material between the tear-out strip and the adjacent wall through which the discharge openings extend. The invention is further characterized by whether a single ply or a multi-ply wall is employed, by a com bination of two series of spaced, circular openings provided through a terminal wall portion, the two series' being of different diameters; and where an independent manually-removable and reusable closure strip is employed originally covering the openings and provided with reusable pressure-sensitive adhesive and adapted for various partial release positions to widely vary overall width of distribution as well as to control flow rate.

This invention relates to a container-dispenser for dry fluid materials such as fertilizer, seed, herbicides, and various chemicals which require dispersion or spreading in use, all of which materials may be in granular, pulverized or small pellet formation.

-In the past for the most part said materials have been available in large bags and other containers, and have required specific equipment for use, designed for spreading the material on ground, streets, farms, gardens and the like. The additional equipment, usually wheeled for travel over lawn, ground or street, has caused the purchaser considerable additional expense, particularly in the cases where the material is to be broadcast or distributed over a large area.

An additional disadvantage is in the present large packages for such material as it is impractical to store many of such materials remaining after a particular application, without danger of moisture absorption, contamination or spillage.

An important object of the present invention is the provision of a container-dispenser for fluent materials of the classes described, which functions to package such fluent materials for shipping, display and home storage and to also distribute and control distribution rate as well as area spreading.

Another object is to provide a container-dispenser package for dry fluent materials which is low in cost, may be discarded after use, and which has the general appearance of a conventional package or container, thus facilitating its transportation, storage and merchandising in various outlets.

Still another object is the provision of a container-dispensing package for said materials, which protects the user from contact with the contents thereof and from the inhalation of attendant dust or fumes.

Another object is the provision of a disposable con- 3,369,709 Patented Feb. 20, 1968 garden carts or vehicle bumpers for use, and in many instances two operations such as cutting of a lawn and distribution of fertilizer or seed simultaneously, may be carried out.

The foregoing and-other objects of the invention will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to identical parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative embodiment with portions of three different closure strips partially opened at different stages;

FIG. 2 is a similar perspective fragmentary view of another illustrative embodiment of the invention wherein the removable closure strips are constructed integrally with the outer layer of a multi-layer bag;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view on a much larger scale, of the dispensing portion of the multi-layer bag illustrated in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing an enlarged scale structure of a part of the container-dispenser illustrated in FIG. 1.

Referring now to the invention embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4 of the drawings, the container, in the form of an elongate bag constructed of any of a variety of suitable materials such as kraft paper, cardboard, plastic or plastic coated paper or other cellulose material, is indicated as an entirety by the letter B. Such bags, with the exclusion of my novel combinative dispensing features are readily available in single ply structure which may be flattened for shipment or storage before filling and which usually have a sealed, bonded or stitched closed end 6 and an opposite end 7 open when the bag is sold but readily closed after filling by heat sealing, stitching or other means.

In accordance with my invention in the manufacture of such a bag, usually with the sheet material unfolded, adjacent to one of the ends of the container or bag, two or more series of spaced discharge openings (shown as 3) 8, 9 and 10 are formed through the sheet thickness of the bag, extending as shown in parallel straight lines. For designation of narrow panels, the bag may be imprinted with lines 8a, 9a, and 10a respectively, but this of course is unnecessary.

The discharge apertures and all thereof of each row or series are covered during the manufacture of the bag or the preparation and processing of the stock from which the bag is made, by a corresponding number of flexible strips 11, 12 and 13 which are covered on their undersides with pressure-sensitive, resealable adhesive. Such material in tape form or impervious cellulose material are common on the market and readily available. In the manu facture of a single ply bag the original sheet material (coated or uncoated) before folding out the bag, may be by a step-by-step process punched according to my requisites, to form the rows of discharge openings and thereafter in a step of the process the tapes may be applied to the designated areas and adhered thereto. Thereafter the bag material may be folded, the edges secured together where necessary and processed according to present practlces.

It will be noted that the discharge apertures 8, 9 and 10 of the three series as shown are all of different diameters, the sizes being determined of course by the particle size of the particular ingredients to be stored, shipped and subsequently used. Thus if the granular or dry, fluent material has a shape factor size of a maximum of of an inch, the smaller apertures would be made slightly greater than of an inch in diameter. The next larger apertures 9 would have diameters varying from 1 to 2 times the diameters of the first series 10 and the enlarged series of apertures 8 would have diameters varying from 2 to 4 times the size of the particles.

While the invention embodiment just described is applied to a rather flexible bag, it will be understood that particularly with the new developments in containers and plastics that the container wherein my invention is applied could have a great variety of shapes and in materials could vary from flexible to rigid.

It will further be understood that the several series of discharge apertures instead of being formed in the lower or bottom portion of the bag could be conveniently formed in the upper end of the bag or in parallel lines with the side edges of the bag, particularly where a greater width of distribution is desired.

My improved structure may be used in a variety of ways. Manually the container may be dragged over garden soil, lawns and the like or lifted and moved over garden plat of the like. The container may be supported by various means such as clamps or hooks or draping from various cart and other vehicles including lawn mowers, small carts, or for larger size bags from front or rear bumper of a powered vehicle. The cart or vehicle may combine two operations such as cultivating soil, cutting grass with simultaneous distribution of granular ingredients from the container.

It is highly important that the rate of flow should be variable in my structure, which may be accomplished cumulatively by the release of one of the adhesive strips or tapes, which is appropriate to the flow desired, or by a combined partial release of one or more of the tapes.

I wish to also point out that for maximum distribution one or more tapes may be released throughout substantially the greater part of its length, while for application of the material to a narrow strip, an appropriate portion only of one or more cover strips is withdrawn, to suit the strip area to be covered.

In the form or embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 a multi-ply bag structure B1 is employed having an inner bag ply 14 of suitable material, often water impervious or a sheet of kraft or other paper having a plastic coating on the inner surface thereof.

In the processing of the inner ply 14 for bag making, several series of spaced discharge apertures x, y, and z are provided (as by punching) in the portion of the inner ply sheet which will ultimately be adjacent an end or a side of the composite bag structure.

Adjacent parallel panels of the inner impervious bag sheet 14 of narrow area are coated with suitable pressure-sensitive adhesive material along the areas shown in solid black lines as 15, 16, and 17. Thereafter, in production the outer sheet 18 of the bag material is properly moved or disposed upon the inner sheet 14 with adequate pressure at least at the adhesive strip areas for the outer ply to be adhesively connected with the inner ply. The outer ply 18 is scored along the respective lines 15a, 16a and 17a, to form scored rectangular strips which may be subsequently released partially from the other integral material of the outer ply of the bag. It is essential that the adhesive panels 15, 16 and 17 extend beyond the respective ends of the scored closure strip areas 15a, 16a and 17a to prevent material from getting between the plies of the bag.

In this second multi-ply form of packaging and dispensing container, the diameter sizes of the several parallel series of discharge openings are again determined by the average particle size of the dry fluent materials to be packaged. The integral strip panels 15a, 16a and 17a of the outer ply, as previously stated, are defined by score lines which preferably extend through or almost through the outer ply 18 including terminal short end portions which may be opened by fingernail, and thereafter an integral strip released to the desired linear extent for exposure of the desired number of discharge openings.

In FIG. 3, the integral strip has been released to expose two of the larger openings x.

It will be understood that instead of depositing or imprinting the pressure-sensitive, resealable adhesive on the outer surface of the inner ply 14, it may be applied to the inner surface in the strip panels indicated, of the outer ply 18.

It will also be understood that I contemplate employing two or more adhesive closure strips for each series of discharge openings in the several forms of my invention. Such is particularly useful where the invention is applied to large or very wide bags.

From the foregoing description taken with the accompanying drawings it will be apparent that I have provided a very widely usable container-dispenser for use with many diiferent dry, fluent materials, adapted for economical manufacture and wide variety of use.

With my structure the flow control rate may be widely varied by the desired partial release of one or more of the closure strips. Specific widths of distribution of the materials contained in my dispenser package may be variously controlled, as previously recited, according to the number of discharge openings and the location thereof which are made available. In large containers several openings may be made available at each end of the series of discharge apertures, thereby enabling distribution and application of material simultaneously to two rows or two strips where treatment is desired.

It will of course be understood that while in the embodiment described in detail herein, my discharge apertures and closure strips are applied to the bottom portion of the container, they are equally applicable to the side portions of a container of various configurations including three-dimensional, rectangular, envelope type, substantially circular or containers having other shapes, provided that in the use of the combinative structure for distributing dry fluent materials they are disposed across the terminal portion of the structure. Thus in the appended claims where the term closed terminal portion appears, this signifies a closed or sealed longitudinal side edge of a container, a bottom or top terminal portion, and on cylindrical containers and the like, a terminal portion extending lengthwise of the container parallel to the axis thereof or across bottom or top of the container.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details and equivalencies in my novel structures, all within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A packaging and dispensing container for dry, fluent materials comprising:

a container body having a closed terminal portion,

a multiplicity of spaced discharge openings of predetermined dimensional areas formed through said terminal portion and extending generally thereacross the same,

at least one closure strip removably covering said openings and provided with a reusable pressure-sensitive adhesive coating originally adhered to said terminal portion and adapted for various partial release therefrom to vary over-all width of distribution, as well as to control flow rate of the fluent material from said container through selective uncovering of said discharge openings,

said container being of multi-ply structure,

said spaced discharge openings extending through the terminal wall ply or plies with the exception of the outermost ply,

said closure strip comprising a tear-out narrow panel in the said outer ply across said discharge openings,

and a thin layer of said adhesive coating disposed between said tear-out closure strip panel and the adjacent wall through which said discharge openings extend.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 wherein at least two series of spaced discharge openings are formed extending transversely across the terminal portion of said container in substantially parallel relation, the openings of one series being larger than those of another series,

and two tear-out panel portions in the outer ply of said container, each disposed across and covering one series of said discharge openings.

3. A packaging and dispensing container for dry fluent materials having a rather uniform particle size, comprising:

a container body having a closed terminal portion adapted to be downwardly disposed for dispensing particulate material,

said terminal portion having a wall provided with a series of spaced, circular discharge openings therethrough, said openings extending in a line generally transversely of said terminal portion and being of a size somewhat greater in area than the larger particle size of said dry fluent materials,

manually removable and replaceable closure means covering said openings and provided with a reusable pressure-sensitive adhesive coating originally adhering to said terminal portion to cover and close said discharge openings, and adapted for various partial release therefrom to vary to over-all width of distribution as well as to control flow rate of the fluent material from said container by selectively uncovering said discharge openings,

second series of spaced, circular discharge openings is provided through said terminal portion-wall, said second series being also circular but of a diameter substantially greater than the diameter of the first series, and an independent, manually-removable and replaceable closure means in the form of a closure strip covering said openings and provided with a reusable pressure-sensitive adhesive coating originally adhering to said terminal portion and adapted for various partial release therefrom to vary the overall width of distribution as well as to control flow rate of the particles from said container.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,430,459 11/ 1947 Farrell et a1 222-541 2,820,581 1/ 1958 Makuta 222-528 2,898,015 8/1959 Borah 222-541 3,083,876 4/1963 Schneider et al 222-107 3,159,096 12/1964 Tocker 222-107 2,878,967 3/1959 Duke 222-107 3,258,169 6/1966 Paisley 222-107 WALTER SOBIN, Primary Examiner. 

